The official Facebook page of Impact Wrestling has released the promotional poster for No Surrender, which takes place Sunday, September 11, 2011.
The poster features the twelve wrestlers competing in the Bound For Glory Series: Crimson, Gunner, Matt Morgan, James Storm, Bully Ray, AJ Styles, Devon, Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner, “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode.
At No Surrender, the top four points leaders will vie for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship—to be received at Bound for Glory. It has not been determined whether a tournament or four-way match will be held.
IMPACT WRESTLING Hits The Road For All-New Episodes In Three Cities
The superstars of “IMPACT WRESTLING” on Spike TV (Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET/PT) will hit the road this August, September and October to shoot all-new episodes of “IMPACT WRESTLING” in three cities: Huntsville, Alabama, Knoxville, Tennessee and Macon, Georgia, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Entertainment announced today.
‘IMPACT WRESTLING’ ON SPIKE TV HITS THE ROAD TO SHOOT UPCOMING EPISODES IN THREE CITIES
SPIKE’S #1 SHOW INVADES HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE AND MACON, GEORGIA FOR UPCOMING EPISODES OF “IMPACT WRESTLING”
“IMPACT WRESTLING” will continue its celebration of “TNA: Bound For Glory,” the biggest pay-per-view event of 2011 coming this October, by bringing “IMPACT” out of its home at Universal Studios Orlando and on the road. “IMPACT WRESTLING” features pop culture icon Hulk Hogan, Mr. Anderson, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Beer Money, Inc., “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Mexican America, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts, the no limits X-Division and much, much more!
“IMPACT WRESTLING” is Spike TV’s #1 rated program, and is seen in over 100 countries worldwide. Fans can be a part of the action on the following dates:
• Thursday, August 25 at the Von Braun Center Arena in Huntsville, Alabama, Tickets start as low as $20 and go on sale THIS FRIDAY, July 15, available at all Ticketmaster locations or online at www.ticketmaster.com
• Wednesday, September 21 at the Knoxville Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets start as low as $15 and go on sale August 12 at www.knoxvilletickets.com
• Wednesday, October 26 at the Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets start as low as $15 and go on sale September 16 at all Ticketmaster locations or online at www.ticketmaster.com
A limited number of “IMPACT WRESTLING VIP” packages will be available at each event. “IMPACT VIP” packages include front row seating and an exclusive pre-show backstage meet & greet with “IMPACT WRESTLING” superstars! Only 20 VIP packages will be available at each event, for $99 a person. For more information, visit ShopTNA.com.
Four matches have been announced for next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
* A Four Corners Match will take place featuring AJ Styles vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Jerry Lynn.
* Crimson will face Bobby Roode in a Bound For Glory Series Match.
* Matt Morgan and James Storm will face “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero and Devon in a Bound For Glory Series Match.
* Velvet Sky will face ODB and Jackie. If Velvet Sky wins the Handicap Match, ODB and Jacqueline have agreed to never show up in the Impact Zone again.
IMMORTAL has also issued World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson an ultimatum.
— We reported here yesterday that TNA Wrestling officials suspended Matt Hardy due to continuously arriving late to live events. It’s now being said that Hardy’s suspension was also due to the video he posted online of himself urging Jeff Hardy to stun Reby Sky (Matt’s girlfriend) with a taser, “among other reasons.”
Hardy was left off last week’s Impact Wrestling tapings in Orlando, Florida due to the aforementioned reasons.
Matt Hardy tweeted the following statement in response to the online reports: “Just checked out the headlines on the ‘net.. They make me smile :-) Everything’s cool in life-luv it! It’s 95 out but I’m not sweating ;)”
— TNA Knockout Tara has launched an official website at RealLisaMarie.com.
— Rob Van Dam is advertised to appear at the Los Angeles Comic Con, which takes place September 24-25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.
— Saturday night in Mexico City, Jeff Jarrett made history by becoming the new AAA World Heavyweight Champion at TripleManía XIX. Jarrett, who was accompanied by his wife Karen, defeated El Zorro to win the prestigious title after throwing powder in his face and assaulting him with a kendo stick.
The TripleMania event also featured Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Abyss, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Angelina Love in action. Jack Evans and Extreme Tiger beat Mr. Anderson and Abyss in a Steel Cage Match to retain the AAA Tag Team Championship. Sexy Star, Angelina Love, Mickie James and Velvet Sky beat Mari, Fabi Apache, Lolita and Cynthia Moreno in an Eight Women Tag Team Match. Dr. Wagner, Jr. beat Rob Van Dam to retain the AAA Latin American Championship.
— Matt Morgan beat “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero via pinfall in a “Bound for Glory Series” match at Saturday’s Impact Wrestling live event in Buffalo, New York.
It was announced at the show that the match would air this Thursday on Impact Wrestling.
— Matches announced for tonight’s Impact Wrestling broadcast include Hernandez of Mexican American vs. Devon, plus the Knockouts Tag Team Championship will be on the line as Rosita and Sarita defend the gold against Velvet Sky and Ms. Tessmacher. Other matches scheduled to take place include:
* TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson vs. Gunner
* Rob Van Dam vs. Samoa Joe
* Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Kid Kash
— Independent wrestler Shima Xion was backstage at Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling tapings.
— Mick Foley has been announced for Legends of the Ring XIII, which takes place October 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe, New Jersey.
— Sting successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Rob Van Dam at tonight’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view.
The thirteen minute match concluded with Sting dropping Rob Van Dam with the Scorpion Death Drop for the win.
Mr. Anderson, who won a 25-Man Battle Royal last Thursday on iMPACT! to become the No. 1 contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, confronted Sting following the match. Sting will face Anderson next month at Slammiversary, which takes place June 12.
— WWE.com editor Craig Tello posted a photo on Twitter of an iMPACT! Wrestling billboard located near WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The image, however, has since been removed. He posted the following the tweet:
“Just saw a #TNA billboard in Stamford on the train to work @WWE. They re-booking the Invasion angle? #IWantWrestling…to stop recycling.”
— Hulk Hogan was asked on Twitter if he would like to bring Bill Goldberg to TNA Wrestling.
“Bill Goldberg would blow the roof off the place,” he replied.
— Christy Hemme, who primarily appears on TNA Wrestling pay-per-view events as a backstage announcer, conducted ring announcing duties at the April 20, 2011 iMPACT! taping.
— Former TNA Wrestling talent Jay Lethal is now available for wrestling and/or appearance bookings via Bill Behrens and Show Business, Inc. at showbis@aol.com and www.sbibookings.com.
— Rob Van Dam is scheduled to appear at the Frank & Son Collectible Show in Rowland Heights, California on Saturday, June 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit www.frankandsonshow.com for more information.
— Multiple sources have confirmed that Jay Lethal has parted ways with TNA Wrestling. His profile was removed from the company’s website Wednesday night.
In a new bit of information, many within TNA are saying that organization officials opted to release the former X Division Champion.
— Abyss will be undergoing dental surgery to repair the bottom row of his teeth, which were badly damaged during a misplaced springboard kick from Rob Van Dam at Tuesday’s iMPACT! taping
Abyss received a lot of praise within the company for working Wednesday’s taping despite being in severe pain.
— Brother Devon, Eric Young, Orlando Jordan and Tommy Dreamer vs. Douglas Williams, Magnus, Murphy and Rob Terry was taped for the May 3 episode of TNA Xplosion on Challenge TV last night in Orlando, Florida.
Rob Van Dam participated in an interview with Stu Stone of MTV’s Blowin U and discussed his tenures with ECW and WWE. He also explained why he believes he is bigger than TNA.
“It’s different fun. When I was in ECW, all the major companies were jockeying for me and trying to sign me up. I was building my name up and at the same time i was using my momentum for the betterment of the company,” Van Dam said.
“Now I’m a bigger star than the company actually because TNA doesn’t have the name brand recognition yet.”
RVD made similar comments last August in the following blog post on his official website, which garnered a negative reaction in the locker room. It also prompted then-TNA talent Kevin Nash to lash out at RVD on Twitter.
“I’d imagine a lot of the old TNA guys are feeling like they’re taking a back seat. The thing is…you can’t argue with the numbers. Last week TNA broke new all-time records for ratings! TNA needed a change. The 6-sided ring and the great technical wrestlers -that nobody knew-wasn’t working. TNA brought in two rock stars, and look at the company now! Dixie often points out how hiring Jeff Hardy and RVD started a whole new era, why do some of the wrestlers not see it? Too, young, too green, too selfish to have the correct perspective. Whereas some of the TNA “stars” are lucky to get recognized walking around the studios, Jeff and myself live like actual celebrities, signing autographs and taking pictures EVERYWHERE we go. Without experiencing this, it’s probably hard to imagine. In fact, very few wrestlers stick out in people’s minds the way that Jeff and I do. WE love our fans and we love their love. TNA is blowing up. Good things will come our way and I see it all happening now.”
“This is a very exciting time. More people watching TNA means more people exposed to the other wrestlers on the card too…as long as they’re good enough to hang around with the rising standards.”
— TNA Wrestling announced an “Ultra Male Rules” two-out-of-three falls stipulation for the Lockdown Cage Match between Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle at Sunday’s TNA Lockdown pay-per-view event.
The bout will have the following stipulations:
– Fall 1: Pinfall
– Fall 2: Submission
– Fall 3: Escape the cage (if necessary)
— Generation Me member Max revealed on his Twitter account yesterday that his wife is pregnant with their first child.
— TNA Wrestling posted an image on their shop website yesterday of a Rob Van Dam T-shirt with “RDV” written at the bottom of the shirt as opposed to “RVD”. The image was quickly deleted and replaced by the intended one. This also occurred on the organization’s Facebook page as an image of the misspelled shirt was posted on the page and quickly deleted. Several users made light of the miscue in the comment box, though many of the remarks were deleted.
— Christopher Daniels was originally scheduled to return to TNA Wrestling as the Suicide character, but plans were ultimately changed. He reached out to WWE during his hiatus from the Nashville based organization, but failed to secure a contract. The feeling within WWE was that he is too small, not to mention old as he is 40. He has continued to appear for Ring of Honor while also working for TNA Wrestling.
— TNA Wrestling posted an image on their shop website today of an Rob Van Dam T-shirt with “RDV” written at the bottom of the shirt as opposed to “RVD”.
The image was quickly deleted and replaced by the intended one.
— Inc Ink. vs. Douglas Williams and Magnus is the featured match on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion.
TNA star Rob Van Dam spoke to the UK Sun’s SunSport blog this week and had a lot to say about what led him to join TNA, the differences between TNA and WWE and whether he’d ever return to WWE. Here are the highlights of what RVD said about:
Liking TNA More Than WWE: “Man, I love TNA! It’s a wonderful place to work. Something WWE never let me do were acting jobs, they turned them down for me. But now I’ m in a situation where I can do these things. WWE just didn’t see the potential of these opportunities and they really ruined my chances back then. I was in some very good places and they just blew it for me, by refusing point blank to negotiate anything. Whereas Dixie Carter lets us explore our possibilities and gives us that chance. Her philosophy is that our extended profile helps TNA enhance its own, and of course it does.”
What Led Him To Join TNA: “When my contract ended with the WWE, TNA tried to get me straight away but I said no. They had big plans for me, it seemed, and a spot in the Main Event Mafia was brought up. But I’m not, and never have been, one for sharing the spotlight. I prefer to be the star and in the limelight by myself.
“Plus WWE had really burned me out. My contract stated I’d be given breaks and they never gave them to me. They did that constantly and they probably wrecked the chances of many guys going back by treating the talent that way.”
“Eric Bischoff called me, Dixie Carter called me, even Jason Hervey picked up the phone. But I said to myself that they were not serious because Hogan hadn’t called yet. Then he did, I was doing my radio show and Hogan called in. The guy spent a half hour explaining on the air why I should join him in TNA. That was what got me here.”
The Possibility of Returning To WWE: “Dixie is a real people person, she is what fuels TNA, we all feed of her enthusiasm for the company. She wants first hand connection with our fans. It’s so different to how Vince McMahon runs his company. At this stage of my career they take so much better care of me, than the WWE ever did at any point. I’d go as far as to say I mean more to TNA than I ever did in WWE.
Fair play to anyone who does go back but, you know, I was so burned out and had so much trouble in my last year there that I just wanted away from that scenario. I couldn’t enjoy going out to the ring and doing my thing, it was killing me. My contract ended and I wanted out, they offered me a new one and I said no. I’m so happy being able to have the freedom at last to juggle my other projects and still go out each night and be the whole FN show.”
There’s a lot more to this great interview, visit TheSun.Co.Uk for more.
— Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors personality Reby Sky (real name Rebecca Reyes), a former Playboy model, revealed on her Formspring account that she and Matt Hardy are engaged to be married. A wedding is set for June 17. The two have been dating since January.
— Rob Van Dam stated the following today on Twitter regarding Drew Carey’s pending induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“DREW CAREY GETS INDUCTED INTO THE WWE HALL OF FAME. MAN, I’M GLAD I’M NOT A WWE WRESTLER.”
— Ric Flair’s scheduled speaking engagement tonight at Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba has been cancelled. Refunds will be issued beginning March 30.
New Japan WrestleKings V show
Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo Dome
Report by reader Nick
I don’t know the exact attendance figure, but the whole first tier was filled along with the ground level seating. My friend and I speculated there were about 10,000-12,000 people there. We paid 3,000 yen (approximately 35 US dollars) for a seat in the first tier, with a nice view of the action.
As is expected in Japan, the Japanese wrestlers received the biggest pops and heat. Notable mention must go to Kenny Omega and Prince Devitt though – they seem to have created a pretty nice following in Japan.
From TNA, Jeremy Borash was doing the ring introductions, and Beer Money, RVD and Jeff Hardy were in action. Quite a few people seemed to be familiar with Beer Money as they have been to Japan
before, but unfortunately Jeff Hardy and RVD received little to no reaction. It was quite funny with RVD, as the Japanese wrestler he faced received a way bigger pop when he mockingly did the RVD gesture with his name than RVD did himself.
Props go to Jeff Hardy for making the trip to Japan with all the personal issues he has going on right now, but he was far from top form today, and put on arguably the worst match of the night. He faced Tetsuya Naitoh (part of No Limit who were in TNA briefly), but the match never got going, had a couple of botched spots, and there was a “was that it?” feeling in the crowd after it ended.
The match may have finished early for some reason as Naitoh didn’t even take his t-shirt off (he usually takes it off during one his signature moves), and Jeff did look noticeably exhausted a couple of minutes into the match. Like I say though, props to Jeff for coming to Japan and putting on the show with everything he has going on at the moment.
All TNA wrestlers used their TNA music and entrance videos.
There was also an announcement during the show that New Japan will be putting on 3 shows under the “Strong Style” slogan in the U.S. in May this year. I think it was May 13 in New Jersey, May 14 in New York, and May 15 in Philadelphia. You may want to confirm those dates, but it was definitely in those cities.
Dark Match
1. Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask, Tama Tonga and Tomoaki Honma defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishi, Gedo and Jado in an 8-man tag match. Short 8-man tag match, was disappointing to see Tiger Mask relegated to dark match status.
Main Card
1. Kouji Kanemoto and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kenny Omega and Taichi. Kenny Omega looked great, and the fans seem to be really behind him.
2. Giant Bernard (A-Train/Prince Albert) and Machine Gun Anderson defeated Beer Money and the team of Nakanishi Manabu and Strongman in a three way tag match. I liked Machine Gun Anderson – he and Bernard got a nice reaction. Beer Money did the Beer Money suplex, DWI, and James Storm did the beer spitting spot which backfired. Fun match which ended with Bernard telling TNA that “NJPW is No. 1!”
3. La Sombra and Mascara Dorada (from CMLL) defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Hector Garza. Lucha libre style tag match with lots of high risk athletic spots. La Sombra performed an inwards somersault dive to the outside and Mascara Dorada did a tightrope walk moonsault to the outside. Really impressive stuff from all 4 guys.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Takashi Iizuka in a “Deep Sleep” (first person unconscious) match. Finally a singles match! Very physical grudge match – Iizuka is an awesome heel. Tenzan finished with an move similar to the Anaconda Vice to put Iizuka away. The crowd loved Tenzan – he was out for a long time with an injured neck and seems to be somewhat of a crowd favourite.
5. Rob Van Dam defeated Toru Yano in a hardcore match. Poor RVD. He put on a good effort here, but received little to no love from the crowd. Japanese crowds are tough to win over. Standard hardcore rules match with chairs, trash cans, ladders, etc involved. RVD did the Van Daminator a couple of times (to no reaction) and hit the Five Star Frog Splash to Yano holding a chair (to no reaction) for the win.
6. Yuji Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki. Grudge match – apparently there is legit heat between these two guys going back over 20 years. Nagata hit some mega stiff kicks, very much a Japanese strong style match.
7. Prince Devitt defeated Kouta Ibushi to retain the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title. Easily the best match of the night. Both these guys are so impressive in the ring, and shook hands at the end after a very high paced match. I urge you all to check this out on YouTube if it gets uploaded.
8. Sugiura and Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Hirooki Goto and Kazuchika Okada. Takayama was as stiff as ever, everyone was “oooh”-ing every time he hit a knee. They did a Go To Sleep style move where Sugiura threw Goto off his shoulders and onto Takayama’s oncoming knee. Looked nasty. Takayama got the win for his team with a bridging german suplex.
9. Jeff Hardy defeated Tetsuya Naitoh to retain the TNA Title. As I mentioned, a disappointing match. Never got going. Jeff hit the Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Hate, and finished with the Swanton Bomb. Naitoh did all the heavy lifting before that, and did his best to create some movement, but Jeff didn’t have a great day at the office.
10. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Go Shiozaki. Great match, Nakamura has some nasty looking chops. He was even chopping Shiozaki’s knee at one point.
11. Tougi Makabe defeated Masato Tanaka.
12. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima to become the 56th IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Tanahashi, who was in TNA for a while, had the crowd behind him in an entertaining title match, and sent everyone home happy with a title win.
— Former WWE talent Scott Hall recently caused a disturbance at a gas station near his Chuluota, Florida residence which resulted in police being summoned. However, he was not arrested.
— Rebecca Budig, who hosted Sunday Night Heat on MTV in the fall of 2000, is a finalist on ABC’s Skating with the Stars. Notably, Budig jokingly said during an October 2000 episode that Stephanie McMahon was “twice her size,” in front of the WWE heiress no less. Budig never appeared on WWE programming again.
— Diamond Dallas Page, among other wrestlers, were on hand for Rob Van Dam’s 40th birthday party last night at the Rainbow Room in West Hollywood.
— The Dec. 16 episode of TNA iMPACT! scored a 1.12 cable rating, up from the previous week’s 1.09 number. The show drew 1,560,000 viewers over the course of two hours.
The peak quarter-hour rating was a 1.23 in Q4, which featured Orlando Jordan and Eric Young vs. Generation Me, and the first-half of the Mickie James and Miss Tessmacher vs. Madison Rayne and Tara tag team match.
— Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne for the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship has been announced for TNA’s Genesis pay-per-view. The event takes place Jan. 9, 2011.
— Four TNA stars were announced today for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.
Matches involving TNA performers are Jeff Hardy defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito of No Limit; Rob Van Dam vs. Toru Yano; and Robert Roode and James Storm will be in a three-way match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship against champions Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson, and Manabu Nakanishi and Strongman Jon Anderson.
— TNA Knockout Cookie suffered an ankle injury at last week’s set of iMPACT! tapings. She took part in an autograph signing Saturday at the Poitin Still Irish Restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey and was carried into the building.
— TNA Wrestling has signed British wrestler “Vigilante” Johnny Moss to a contract.
— TNA Wrestling has announced that Jeff Hardy will defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Mr. Anderson at next month’s Turning Point pay-per-view event.
— Former WWE star Katie Lea Burchill, who debuted on last night’s episode of iMPACT! as Winter, commented on her TNA Wrestling debut on Twitter: “Thanks for all the positive feedback. That means the world to me. I’m soooo excited!!!!”
— Rob Van Dam has been added to this weekend’s TNA Wrestling house show tour of Michigan.
— The pre-sale code for the Friday, Jan. 7 TNA Wrestling live event in Westbury, Long Island at the NYCB Theatre is 412800. The pre-sale kicked off this morning via Ticketmaster.com.
— TNA Wrestling’s decision to turn Jeff Hardy heel was made approximately seven weeks ago. The creative department felt that it was adamant that the group Abyss had been referring to as “they” for the past several months include the TNA World Heavyweight Champion and it was determined that Hardy and Rob Van Dam were the prime options.
— Mr. Anderson has been pulled from wrestling at this weekend’s TNA Wrestling house show loop across the Midwest due to an injury suffered at last night’s iMPACT! television taping. He will still be appearing as advertised.
While the specific injury is not confirmed, the former Mr. Kennedy reportedly suffered a gash during his match.
— Today is former TNA talent Karen Angle’s birthday as she turns 38 years old. Regarding this, she wrote on Twitter: “Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! 38th years old today…I am the happiest I’ve ever been thank you to my amazing husband and kids for making everyday special!!!!”
She was also in attendance at Sunday’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view.
sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com
On Thursday’s TNA “iMPACT!, Eric Bischoff announced that due to injuries sustained at the hands of Abyss’ attack last week, Rob Van Dam has been stripped of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
An 8-man tournament is being held determine a new titleholder, with the Final Four established on “iMPACT!” that will battle at the “No Surrender” Pay-Per-View on Sunday, September 5.
At No Surrender, it will be Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson vs. The Pope in the semi-finals. The winners of those matches will advance to the Finals at “Bound For Glory” on Sunday, October 10 to determine a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion!
– As we reported here last week, Rob Van Dam will be taking some time off from TNA due to the company using up most of his contracted appearances. It’s worth noting that RVD is still advertised for the September 23rd TNA house show event in New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Aside from that show, RVD is not booked for any other live events or television tapings.
– After being kept of television for a few weeks following a recent backstage blowup a TNA iMPACT! taping, Samoa Joe is set to return to TNA at Monday’s iMPACT! tapings. Joe was sent home several weeks ago after going on rampage backstage at an iMPACT! taping. Joe reportedly flipped out after Jeremy Borash announced that there was 30 seconds remaining in his match with Jeff Hardy. The match ended in a time limit draw and Joe felt the “time remaining” announcement gave away the finish for the match. (Source: PWInsider.com)
– WWE announcer and ECW original Joey Styles was recently asked his thoughts on TNA’s Whole F’N Show edition of iMPACT. Styles said:
“I watched the Whole F’N show highlights online. I’ve seen wood chipper victims who were less of a mess than RVD. Who books that crap?â€
– Here’s a video preview for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:
As we saw on Thursday’s “Whole F’N Show” iMPACT! special, TNA Champion Rob Van Dam was brutally attacked by Abyss and left bloody backstage. Without spoiling too much for next week’s iMPACT!, we can confirm that Rob Van Dam will be taking some time off in the near future.
The main reason for Rob Van Dam taking time off is his TNA contract. Van Dam signed a deal with TNA for a specific number of dates per year – and TNA has been burning through those dates much faster than they originally planned. TNA has booked Van Dam for most television, pay-per-views and live events and are running low on the number of available dates.
TNA has run into similar issues in the past with stars like Ric Flair, Sting and Mick Foley in the past.
It’s possible that TNA could renegotiate the terms of Van Dam’s contract in order to get him back on television sooner, but for now, he’ll be taking some time off in order to conserve what’s left of his remaining appearances.
* Warning: The following contains big *SPOILERS* for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:
Following news that TNA Champion Rob Van Dam is expected to take time off in the near future, we can confirm that RVD has been written out of television and TNA is vacating the World Championship
TNA did a big injury angle with Van Dam at Monday’s iMPACT! tapings (airing this Thursday night) that concluded with him being taken out of the building via ambulance, which will set up the need for a new champion being crowned.
At the start of Tuesday’s tapings, Eric Bischoff came out and announced that RVD has been hospitalized with likely head and spinal trauma, 115 stitches and possibly punctured organs. After meeting with Van Dam’s doctors and Dixie Carter, the championship committee has decided to vacate the championship.
A tournament will be held – starting at tonight’s iMPACT! tapings (airing next week) – with a new TNA Champion being crowned at Bound For Glory.
Tomorrow night’s TNA HardCORE Justice pay-per-view main event between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn will not take place as advertised. Multiple sources indicate Lynn has been forced to pull out of the event due to a back injury.
Many felt the match was in jeopardy earlier this week because Lynn pulled out of a scheduled indy match taking place this weekend. It is believed that company officials found out about the cancellation within the past 24 hours.
TNA Wrestling has yet to confirm the cancellation, so a new main event has not been announced.
